Selector valve



April 19, 1960 J. P. GAGLIARDO 2,933,140

SELECTOR VALVE Filed Dec. 31, 1956 INVENTOR. JOHN P. GAGLIARD'O BY hmwm, mum, WIHLR & HILDREIH ATTORNEYS tired tats SELECTGR VALVE Application Becemher 3i, 1%(5, Serial No. 631,695

4 Claims. (Cl. 159-15) The present invention relates to fire fighting apparatus and more particularly to a selector valve for a turret mounted fire fighting installation.

in order to provide a sutficient amount of fire extinguishing liquid either in the form of water or foam, it is often necessary to provide installations of considerable size. In areas such as air bases. and the like where the danger of tire is great it is often necessary to provide a special truck which is outfitted for extinguishing gasoline fires and the like. Such trucks may be called upon to put out any number of different kinds of fires ranging from small fires to fires resulting from airplane crashes. Therefore it is necessary to provide means on these fire fighting trucks which can regulate not only the type of fire extinguishing fluid that is to be used, but also make the most efficient use of the quantity of fire-extinguishing fluid that may be carried.

Fire fighting trucks often carry a supply of water and also a. supply of foam forming solution. This is necessary in order to deal with such fires as the truck necessarily encounters. In order to deal with the number of different situations which such a truck may face it has been the practice in the past to provide separate nozzles for water discharge and separate nozzles for foam discharge. Often in addition to a single nozzle for water and a single nozzle for foam it was necessary to provide different nozzles having different rate capacities in order to pump either fast or slow depending upon the requirements of the situation.

In the present invention there is provided a turret head assembly for a fire fighting truck which combines in a single assembly both water nozzles and foam nozzles. A single valve is provided which allows the selection of either type of discharge and also controls the rate of discharge. This is accomplished by providing in a single assembly a common inlet conduit which is connected to both sources of fire extinguishing liquids. A valve is provided which allows the operator to select either a water discharge or a foam discharge to introduce into the selector valve. By properly positioning the lever connected with the type of discharge plate within the selector valve the operator may select either or both of the discharge nozzles associated with either foam or water. Also by selecting independently the rate at which discharge is required, it is possible to have a discharge out of either one or both of the nozzles provided for a particular type of liquid, therefore making it possible to vary the rate depending upon the requirements of the situation.

In the drawings illustrating the present invention:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation view on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 of a selector valve assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the selector valve assembly of the present invention, looking up from the discharge end, showing the position of the various nozzles and one position of the selector handles;

atentC Patented Apr. 1Q, 1960 Fig. 3 is an end view of the rate selector plate of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the type of discharge selector plate;

Figs. 5, 6, 7- and 8 are diagrammatic and views of the two selector plates, similar to Fig. 2, but showing the selector plates in dilferent positions in order to provide for minimum and maximum discharges of either water or foam;

In Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a selector valve assembly 1 which has four separate discharge conduits. Two of the conduits 2 are for water discharge and the other two conduits 4 are for foam discharge. The sectional elevation of Fig. 1 is taken on such a section line that only one foam discharge conduit 4 and one water discharge conduit 2 are illustrated in that figure. As may be seen in Fig. 2, the water discharge conduits 2 are equally spaced from the center of the assembly and are spaced 180 apart; also the foam discharge conduits 4 are separated by 180 and are equally spaced from the the center of the assembly.

The discharge conduits 2 and 4 may be of any suitable form. The water discharge conduits 2 are shown as straight sections of cylindrical pipe mounted in the valve body. The foam discharge conduits 4 are of somewhat larger size. Near the inlet of each is a mixer head 5 to break up the stream of liquid. There is an air space between the mixer head and the inlet of each conduit 4 to afford proper air entrainment for production of a high quality foam. All four discharge conduits may be connected to a single outlet head or nozzle of any suitable form.

The selector valve assembly 1 is provided with inlet conduits 12. The operator may select either of the two liquids that are required, namely, either water or foam forming solution for introduction into the inlet conduits 12. This is accomplished by a valve (not shown) which may connect the inlet conduits 12 to either a source of water or a source of foam forming solution under pressure. The conduits 12 connect with an inlet chamber 13 in the valve body. Between the chamber 13 and the discharge conduits 2, 4, are two rotary selector plates 6, 8 shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. Below the plates the body is formed with two discharge passages 14 leading to the water conduits 2 and two passages 15 leading to the heads 5.

The rate selector plate 6 shown in Fig. 3 performs the function of determining whether discharge will be through one or both of the discharge conduits of either set, and the type-of-discharge selector plate 8 determines whether the discharge will be through the water conduits 2 or from the foam discharge conduits 4.

In the following description it is assumed that the sizes of the conduits are such as to give a discharge rate of 500 gallons per minute of the selected fluid through any single conduit; hence there will be a discharge rate of 1000 gallons per minute when both conduits of either set are open.

The rate selector plate 6 has three holes 16 which are of equal diameter, as shown in Fig. 3. Two of the holes are 180 apart and the third is spaced from each of them. The type-of-discharge selector plate 3 is shown in Fig. 4 has two holes 18 spaced The holes in the two plates are of the same size and are equally spaced from the axis. The holes 18 of the plate 8 are adapted to register with either the water passages 14 or the foam liquid passages 15. The plate 6 may be set so that its two opposed holes register with both of the holes 18 to give maximum discharge rate, or so that the third hole 16 registers with only one of the holes 18 to give the lower rate.

The rate selector plate 6 is mounted on a shaft 20 which has a handle 24 to rotate the rate selector plate 6 through a 90 angle in order to select the proper rate of discharge. Likewise, the type-of-discharge selector plate 8 is mounted-on a bushing 26 which also has a handle 28 to rotate it through an angle of 90. The shaft 20 is journaled in the 'bushing26, which in turn is journaled in a central hub 28 in the valve body. If desired, the selector plates 6, 8 may be rotated by means. of flexible cables 30 attached to pulleys 32, 34 mounted on shafts 20 and 26. In this manner the selector valve may be remotely controlled by the operator.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show the various positions of the plates to select a 500 gallon per minute rate of flow for either Water or foam or a 1000 gallon per minute rate for either Water or foam.

The plates 6 and 8 are provided with peripheral portions of reduced radii as shown at 36 and 38 respectively, to cooperate with a stop stud 40 to limit their rotation to 90. The positions of the plates 6, 8 as shown in Fig. 8 provide for a discharge of 1000 gallons per minute through both foam solution conduits. Fig. 2 showsthis same relative positioning of the selector plates. Fig. 5 shows the positions for water discharge through one conduit 2, Fig. 6 for water discharge through both conduits, and Fig. 7 for foam liquid discharge through a single conduit 4. p

All of the component parts Within the assembly are sealed to prevent leakage of fluid around the periphery of the two plates 6, 8 and around the shafts 20, 26 upon which the two plates 6, 8 are mounted.

\Vhile the present invention is illustrated and described in a particular embodiment it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that deviations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A selector valve for fire-fighting apparatus having, in combination, an inlet section having an inlet port and a mounting flange defining an opening, an outlet section having a portion 'to fit said mounting flange, a central hub portion and four separate fluid passages leading from said opening, said passages being spaced about the hub portion, a bushing rotatably supported in said hub, a shaft rotatably supportedv in said bushing, and a pair of flow control plates pivotally supported on said hub in position to connect said inlet port selectively to said passages, one of said plates being secured to said bushing and the other of said plates being secured to said shaft, each of said plates having a pair of diametrically opposed perforations and one of said plates having a third perforation intermediate between said pair of perforations.

2. A selector valve for fire-fighting apparatus having, in combination, an inlet section having an inlet .port' and a mounting'flange defining an opening, an outlet section having a portion to fit said mounting flange, a central hub portion and four separate fluid passagesleading from V said last-mentioned plate through 90 degrees to open or said opening, said passages having mutually parallel axes equally spaced from the axis of the hub portion, a bushing rotatably supported in said hub, a shaft rotatably supported in said bushing, and a pair of flow control plates pivotally supported on said hub, oneof said plates being secured to said bushing and the other to said shaft, one of said plates further having a pair of diametrically opposed perforations with means to rotate said plate through 90 degrees to align the perforations with either of two pairs of selectable passages, and the other plate having a pair of diametrically opposed perforations, a third perforation on a line at right angles to the line between said last-mentioned pair and means to rotate close one of the perforations aligned'with the selected pair of passages.

3. A selector valve for fire-fighting apparatus having, in combination, a body portion comprising an inlet section having an inlet port and an outlet section having a hub, a pair of diametrically-opposed water discharge conduits and a pair of diametrically-opposed foam discharge passages, said pairs being on lines mutually at right angles and passing through the axis of said hub, a mixer head closing each of the foam discharge passages, a foam discharge conduit spaced from and axially aligned with each of said mixer heads, a perforate flow control plate pivotally supported on said hub in position to connect said inlet port with a water discharge conduit or a foam discharge passage selectably, a shaft secured to said plate and extending through said hub, and a handle secured to said shaft in position'to swing through the space between one of said mixer heads and its associated conduit tomove said Plate.

4. A selector valve for fire-fighting apparatus having,

in combination, a body portion comprising an inlet section having an inlet port and an outlet section having a hub, a water discharge conduit and a foam discharge passage, a mixer head closing the foam discharge passage, a foam discharge conduit spaced from and axially aligned With said mixer head, a perforate flow control plate pivotally supported on said hub in position to connect said 'inlet port with the water discharge conduit or the foam discharge passage selectably, a shaft secured to said plate and extending through said hub, and a handle secured to said shaft in position to swing through the space between said mixer headand its associated conduit to move said 

